Type writing machine



N 6|4 244. Patented Nov. l5 I898.

L. P. mss.

' TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 13, 1898.)

(No Model.)

[III],

2 A440 '1: 3 YM TTURNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS P. DISS, OF ILION, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE WYOKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT, OF SAME PLACE.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,244, dated November 15, 1898. Application filed May 13, 1898. Serial No. 680,537. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS P. DIss, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State of New'York, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Type -Writing Machines, of which the following is a specification. 1 r

The line-spacing mechanism of a type-writing machine comprises, usually, a ratchetwheel secured to one endtof a cylindrical platen, a pawl for turning said ratchet-wheel tooth by tooth, and a detent or holdfast for insuring regularity ofspacing and for preventing the platen from turning accidentally during the time of writing; In most machines the construction is such' that the platen may i also be rotated independently of the line-spacing pawl; but in such cases, as well as when the line-spacing pawl is actuated to rotate 1 the platen, the latter is turned step by-step distances equal to the distance apart of the spaces between the teeth of the'ratchet-Wheel, and hence the ordinary construction is not well adapted for printing upon ruled lines which are spaced apart differently from the tooth-spaces of the ratchet-wheel or for writing upon printed sheets having blank spaces to be filled or written in with thetype-writer.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a meanswhereby the platen may be rotated independently of the line spacing mechanism through any desired arc, minute or large, so as to bring any desired line or space on the sheet being written to the printing-point; and it is a further object of my invention to provide a simple and effective contrivance for releasing the platen ratchet- Wheel from its detent and to simultaneously apply a means for preventing the platen from rotating too freely and forholding it firmly in any position to which it maybe adjusted or turned during the course of the writing and quite as effectually as if the (letent'itself were in engagement with said ratchet-wheel.

To theseends my invention consists in the various features of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is joted frame or carrier, and the cam-lever by which the detent is removed from the ratchetwheel and the brake-shoe applied to the platen; and Fig. 5 is a detached view of the .parts shown in Fig. 4, but looking at them in the direction of the arrow at the line .22, Fig. 1. In the various views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of reference.

1 designates the platen carriage or frame, in the side bars of which is journaled the platen-axle 2 in the usual manner.

. 3 isa cylindrical platen which at one end is provided with a line-spacing ratchet-wheel 4, adapted to be turned step by step by the usual line-spacing pawl 5. At 6 is secured to the platen-frame by a screw one end of a bar or leaf spring 7, which is forked at its opposite end and provided with bearings 8 for the pivot-pin 9 of a detent 10, which in this instance is in the form of a small antifrictionroll capable of revolving freely on its pivot, although any other suitable form of detent may be employed.

i 11 represents a sheet -metal frame having downwardly-proj ecting ears 12,which are perforated'to receive the pivot-pin 9, the ears 12 being arranged outside of or straddling the forked bearings 8 of the spring 7. At the rear end of the frame 11 is a brake shoe or friction-pl ate 13,which extends laterally inwardly over the platen and is supported by or formed integral with an arm or extension 14, projecting rearwardly from the inner one of the two downwardly-projecting cars 12. The arm or extension 14 and theshoe or plate 13 are arranged at right angles to each other.

The forward endof the frame or device 11 is bifurcated and formed with eyes or bearings 15 to receive a pivot-pin 16, which also passes through a perforation in a cam or eccentric 17, arranged within the forks of said bifurcated portion. Said cam or eccentric is provided with ahandle portion 18 for convenience of manipulation.

Rigidly secured to one of the side bars of the platen-frame and extending upwardly therefrom is a bracket 19, that is provided at its upper end with an inwardly-extending pin 20, upon which the cam or eccentric face 21 of the device 17 acts in the operation of the contrivance, as will be presently explained, and the said pin is also adapted to receive a notch or cutaway portion 22 on the cam or cam-lever for the purpose of locking orholding the detent out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel and the shoe or brake in engagement with the platen.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the detent-roller is shown as in working engagement with the ratchet-wheel and the brake or friction shoe as out of contact with the surface of the platen, while the actuating lever or device 17 is shown as swung backwardly and with its cam portion or face 21 resting lightly upon the pin 20. lVith the parts in the positions shown and described the line-spacing mechanism may be said to be in normal condition, and when the line-spacing lever 23, carrying the pawl 5, is actuated the ratchet-wheel and the platen will be rotated equal dis tances or distances equal to the spaces of the ratchet-wheel with which the detent-roller under the pressure of its springs 7 cooperates to hold the platen against accidental rotation during the period of writing after the completion of the line-spacing movement. In this normal condition of the mechanism the shoe or plate performs no ofiice whatsoever. lVhen, however, it may be desired to turn the platen irregular or un uniform distances and to hold the same firm for printing purposes, the said shoe or plate is brought into action and simultaneously the detent is thrown out of operative relation to the ratchet-Wheel. This is accomplished by one movement of the cam-lever. By pulling the handle portion 18 forward or to the position shown at Fig. 3 the cam portion proper, 21, riding upon the pin 20, operates to rock the sheet-metal frame about the pivot 9 and to throw the shoe or plate 13 down upon the surface of the platen, and it also operates, after the shoe or plate has come to a bearing, to cause the detent to move up out of engagement with the ratchetwheel, the spring 7 yielding or bending under the force applied to lift the detent, and this flexing of the spring acts to give it more tension and to cause the brake or plate to bear harder upon the surface of the platen. When the detent has been lifted sufliciently above the ratchet-teeth and the brake has come to a proper bearing upon the platen, the notched portion 22 of the cam engages with the pin 20 and cooperates therewith to lock or hold the parts in their new positions, as shown clearly at Fig. 3. From this View it will be understood that the platen may be turned by its hand-wheel 24 freely in either direction and for any desired distance or through a large or very small are, so as to bring the desired point or place upon the paper exactly to the printing-point, and that the pressure or friction of the brake or plate upon the platen will serve to properly hold the platen in its adjusted position against accidental turning and quite as effectually as if the detent itself were cooperating with the ratchet-wheel. \Vhen the necessity for irregular spacing no longer exists, the detent may be readily restored into engagement with the ratchet-wheel by a simple backward movement of the handle portion 18 of the cam-lever to the position shown at Fig. 1, during which the spring 7 will cooperate to reenga-ge the detent with the ratchet-wheel.

\Vhile I prefer to make the arm that carries the detent of elastic or springy metal, it will nevertheless be understood that the said arm may be made inelastic and that a separate spring may be provided for said arm, which then may be pivoted as is common in various styles of type-writing machines.

The frame 11 acts as a lever during the operation of lifting the detent, the platen acting as a bearing or fulcrum for the plate or shoe 13 of said frame while the forward end of the frame is beinglifted to raise the roller and flex its spring-arm.

Although I prefer to have the plate or shoe work or bear directly on the rubber surface of the platen, it may be arranged to work 011 the metallic platen-head 25 between the core of the platen and the ratchet-wheel, or at any other suitable place, as long as it operates to put friction on the platen in substantially the manner shown and described.

Various changes in detail, construction, and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen a line-spacing ratchet-wheel, a spring-pressed detent therefor, and a leverframe having a brake-shoe and connected to saidIdetent, whereby when the lever-frame is vibrated in one direction and the brake-shoe comes to a bearing on the platen the said detent is removed from the ratchet-wheel by a further movement of said lever and friction or pressure is put upon the platen.

2. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-spacingratchet-wheel, a spring-pressed detent, a lever-frame connected thereto and carrying a brake-shoe, and a cam for vibrating said lever-frame and simultaneously disengaging the detent from its ratchet-wheel and causing the brake-shoe to press upon the platen.

3. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-spacing ratchet-Wheel, a spring-pressed detent, a lever-frame connected thereto and carrying a'brake-shoe and a cam, and a projection or abutment on the framework for said cam to act against.

4. In a type-writing machine, the combina'- tion of a platen, a line-spacing ratchet-wheel, a spring-pressed detent, a lever-frame connected thereto and carrying a brake-shoe and a notched cam, and a pin on the framework for the cam to act against to lock the detent out of engagement and the shoe into engagement. v

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-spacing ratchet-wheel, a spring-arm carrying a detent-roller, a leverframe connected to the pivot of said roller and provided at one end with a brake-shoe and at its opposite end with a cam, and a relatively-fixed projection for said cam to act against.

6. In a type-Writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-spacing ratchet-wheel, a spring-arm provided with a roller-detent, a lever-frame mounted to turn on the pivot of said roller-detent and provided atone end with a brake-shoe and at its other end with a cam-lever, and a relatively-fixed pin for the said cam-lever to act against.

7. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen a line-spacing ratchet-wheel, a spring-pressed arm carrying a detent, a frame pivotally connected to said spring-pressed arm and provided with a brake-shoe, a cam acting first to vibrate said lever and bring said brake-shoe into engagement with the platen and then to remove said detent from the ratchet-wheel against the tension of the detent-spring and while the lever-frame is fulcruming on the platen at the brake-shoe.

8. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-spacing ratchet-Wheel, a spring-pressed detent, a lever pivotally con nected thereto and provided with a brakeshoe, a cam formoving the brake-shoe toward and against the platen and the detent away from the ratchet-wheel, and a projection or abutment for the cam to act against.

9. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-spacing ratchet-whee1, a spring-arm carrying a roller-detent, a leverframe provided at one end with abrake-shoe and at its opposite end with a lever, and a projection or abutment for the said lever to act against.

Signed at Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, this 11th day of May, 1898.

LOUIS P. DISS.

Witnesses:

W. K. JENNE, CHAS. E. MAURICE. 

